


Coping Mechanisms

by hopecanbeyoursword



Series: self-sacrificing friends stay together 'til the end [11]
Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)
Genre: Heartbeats, Nightmares, Post-Tartarus (Percy Jackson), Sky - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-02
Updated: 2018-05-02
Packaged: 2019-04-30 07:47:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 378
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14492214
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hopecanbeyoursword/pseuds/hopecanbeyoursword
Summary: Each boy has their own coping method they hold onto when they get lost in nightmares.





	Coping Mechanisms

Because for Percy, the sky was his grounding point. When he was so submerged in his memories and he couldn’t breathe, he would look for the sky. Whether it was the clear blue, stormy clouds, or the shining stars, it never failed to help him calm down. Because in Tartarus, he was never able to see the sky. It was just darkness and despair.

 

He could often be seen stumbling out of his cabin before sunrise, fists clenched so hard that his knuckles were turning white. He would collapse outside, breaths only slowing when he was able to find Zoe’s constellation.

 

When he was at his worst, his neighbors could hear him screaming in his sleep, and someone would have to go and get Annabeth or Rachel. They’d wake him as gently as they could, and help him outside, usually with tears streaming down his face, nails digging into his arms. When he was home, his mom would be at his side almost immediately, wanting to help. His bed was located right next to the window so he would just have to turn over to see the expansive sky.

 

For Peter, he needed to hear a heartbeat, reassure himself that he wasn’t alone. He needed to know that those he cared about were alive and breathing. Ever since the bite, his enhanced senses allowed him to pick up on the slight differences between heartbeats, and it brought a sense of comfort to him. He had been alone when his uncle died, when the building came crashing down on him.

 

Whenever he woke up from a nightmare at three in the morning, he’d strain his ears to listen for May’s steady heartbeat, reassuring him she was there and alive. She was the only family he had left, and he didn’t know what he’d do without her. When he was at the compound, he’d listen for Mr. Stark’s heartbeat, finding more comfort in the fact his mentor was alive and well, over the other heroes.

 

The steady _bump bump bump_ of May’s heart during the night, the quicker _thump thump thump_ of Mr. Stark’s heart during battle. As long as it was there, he knew he wasn’t alone, that the people he cared about, _loved,_ were alive. It was enough.

**Author's Note:**

> This is just a little something I had written that I wanted to post. I'm busy with finals (today is study day, first day of finals is tomorrow), so I probably won't get chapter two of "And Then There Were Three" up until school is over. So I thought this would be nice to post.


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